Mast mobile, the mullet of carriers, offers business up front and a party in the back | techcrunch

Once, long ago, my personal phone number became my business phone number. The result? I now get business calls all day long and no one I know calls me just to chat. This could be an issue

between myself and my diminishing circle of friends but it could also be a solution for Mast Mobile. This new carrier, powered by Virgin Mobile USA, lets you have two phone numbers on one

phone. Callers to your business line will get the polite, business-like you thanks to on-phone notifications while calls to your friends line will get a hearty “WAZZZZUUUUUP!” The system

uses a special system to separate the important calls from the calls from your friends asking to borrow your truck. Founded by David Messenger and Peter Lurie the company has close ties to

Virgin Mobile USA. Lurie co-founded the carrier in 2000 and acted as general counsel. David Dawson, another co-founder, worked at HP and Microsoft. The company has raised $8 million. The

company began by targeting enterprise customers but they have just opened up to freelancers and members of the “gig economy.” They are offering rebates for early adopters in New York and are

rolling out to individuals right now. “The growing freelance and gig economy isn’t just underserved, it’s ignored,” said Messenger. “The question became ‘How do we make communication simple

for companies and individuals to manage?’” While there are already dual-SIM phones, this system uses app-based and single-SIM calling to ensure the move from business to pleasure is

seamless. Sadly, Mast can’t change your voice from gruff morning grumpy to a chipper British accent just yet so you’ll still have to pretend to be on the ball when you get a business call.